This film begins in New York City with a young fashion designer's assistant by the name of "Anne" (Kathy Uyen) being told by her fiancé "Kiet" (Peter Majik Nguyen) that he has accepted a temporary position in Saigon and will be gone for several months. This devastates Anne who happens to be a control freak and plans everything in advance down to the last detail. Realizing that his leaving is beyond her control she reluctantly decides to push back all of her plans. But then one day while video chatting with him she sees a pair of red high heels in his apartment and becomes insanely suspicious. So in order to rectify the situation she convinces her colleague at work by the name of "George" (Sigmund Watkins) to tell their boss "Tino" (Gigi Velicitat) that she is real sick--while in the meantime she takes the first flight out to Saigon to investigate the situation. However, rather than confronting Kiet, she decides to enlist the help of her friend named "Danny" (Don Nguyen) to infiltrate his inner circle and get close to the three female models Kiet works with on a daily basis. What Danny doesn't realize is just how far Anne is willing to go to get to the bottom of things. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I have become very impressed with Vietnamese cinema lately with films like "The Floating Lives" and "Adrift" coming immediately to mind of some of the fine pictures having been produced within the last decade or so. But I wasn't quite expecting a good romantic-comedy like this one. That said, I especially enjoyed the performance of Don Nguyen who dominated every scene he was in. Be that as it may, while it may have had a couple of weak scenes here and there, I enjoyed this film for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.
2 Reviews
A wonderful breakout movie for Vietnamese cinema and a breakout performance by Kathy Uyen and cast
anhtran7617 October 2013
Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to see the grand opening of Am Muu Giay Got Nhon alongside the cast and crew, a few of whom I call my friends.
In a nutshell, I was completely blown away by how amazing this movie is. This didn't feel like a "Vietnamese" produced movie, though Vietnam cinema has gone a long way in the past few years. The visual quality of the film truly felt like a mainstream Hollywood production. From the moment the film opens to the final scene, you feel as though you've been whisked away to a major motion picture set.
The story reminded of a of amalgamation of French Kiss meets Sex in the City meets the Devil Wears Prada, but done with a fun Vietnamese overtone. However, instead of being a cookie cutter storyline with a typical ending, the story arch really takes you on a roller coaster ride. I honestly didn't know what the outcome of the story was going to be until it unveiled itself in the very end. Overall, this is an utterly enjoyable film that is extremely relatable if you're Asian, but anyone in any country can enjoy it.
I believe the real life aftermath of this film is what's really exciting. To me, this movie is reminiscent of the actors from Mystic Pizza. An iconic movie with great a ensemble cast, which became the launch points for so many huge careers. Mark my words in a decade; this movie will be Vietnam's Mystic Pizza.
First time actor, Petey Majik reminded us of a young Vincent D'Onofrio. My understanding is that this is Petey's first acting role ever, but I assure you that this will not be his last. His performance embodied the acting chops of someone who has been on the silver screen for quite some time and I think audiences will enjoy seeing him in films to come.
Phuong Mai and YaYa Truong Nhi are both known for their modeling careers and their professional personas clearly came out in the movie to help carry that sense of authenticity. Phuong Mai was the perfect contrast to YaYa in terms of character personalities, but instead of being these one-dimensional caricatures, they had real depth that was embodied in their performance.
Truc Diem, who is also a model and who has done some acting in the past had an exceptionally poignant performance. She wasn't just a pretty face, who helped contrast Kathy's character Anne. Rather, she was this soulful beauty, struggling with her own love for a more limited life versus the allure of a big city with a big city man. With looks like Truc Diem, its very hard to pull off this role, but she does it with grace and I think a lot of young Vietnamese women will be able to sympathize with her.
And finally, the crème de la crème – Kathy Uyen. This is a clearly a breakout role for Kathy who truly showed that she has the ability to carry a major film. Her performance was on point in just about every single scene. She was funny, witty, crazy and most importantly she drew the audience into her own neurosis to the point that we could empathize with her craziness at the end. Even though Pretty Women marked the arrival of Julia Roberts as the powerful mainstream blockbuster carrying actress, it was her roots in Mystic Pizza that people remember the most. I'm sure within the next few years Kathy Uyen will find that blockbuster role in another movie, but I think people will always remember her as the sexy, fast-talking and quirky Viet Kieu, who won over the hearts of millions in Am Muu Giay Got Nhon.
Additional disclosure: There's an 72% chance I also have a crush on one of the cast members.
In a nutshell, I was completely blown away by how amazing this movie is. This didn't feel like a "Vietnamese" produced movie, though Vietnam cinema has gone a long way in the past few years. The visual quality of the film truly felt like a mainstream Hollywood production. From the moment the film opens to the final scene, you feel as though you've been whisked away to a major motion picture set.
The story reminded of a of amalgamation of French Kiss meets Sex in the City meets the Devil Wears Prada, but done with a fun Vietnamese overtone. However, instead of being a cookie cutter storyline with a typical ending, the story arch really takes you on a roller coaster ride. I honestly didn't know what the outcome of the story was going to be until it unveiled itself in the very end. Overall, this is an utterly enjoyable film that is extremely relatable if you're Asian, but anyone in any country can enjoy it.
I believe the real life aftermath of this film is what's really exciting. To me, this movie is reminiscent of the actors from Mystic Pizza. An iconic movie with great a ensemble cast, which became the launch points for so many huge careers. Mark my words in a decade; this movie will be Vietnam's Mystic Pizza.
First time actor, Petey Majik reminded us of a young Vincent D'Onofrio. My understanding is that this is Petey's first acting role ever, but I assure you that this will not be his last. His performance embodied the acting chops of someone who has been on the silver screen for quite some time and I think audiences will enjoy seeing him in films to come.
Phuong Mai and YaYa Truong Nhi are both known for their modeling careers and their professional personas clearly came out in the movie to help carry that sense of authenticity. Phuong Mai was the perfect contrast to YaYa in terms of character personalities, but instead of being these one-dimensional caricatures, they had real depth that was embodied in their performance.
Truc Diem, who is also a model and who has done some acting in the past had an exceptionally poignant performance. She wasn't just a pretty face, who helped contrast Kathy's character Anne. Rather, she was this soulful beauty, struggling with her own love for a more limited life versus the allure of a big city with a big city man. With looks like Truc Diem, its very hard to pull off this role, but she does it with grace and I think a lot of young Vietnamese women will be able to sympathize with her.
And finally, the crème de la crème – Kathy Uyen. This is a clearly a breakout role for Kathy who truly showed that she has the ability to carry a major film. Her performance was on point in just about every single scene. She was funny, witty, crazy and most importantly she drew the audience into her own neurosis to the point that we could empathize with her craziness at the end. Even though Pretty Women marked the arrival of Julia Roberts as the powerful mainstream blockbuster carrying actress, it was her roots in Mystic Pizza that people remember the most. I'm sure within the next few years Kathy Uyen will find that blockbuster role in another movie, but I think people will always remember her as the sexy, fast-talking and quirky Viet Kieu, who won over the hearts of millions in Am Muu Giay Got Nhon.
Additional disclosure: There's an 72% chance I also have a crush on one of the cast members.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
